C3 Fragile Doll

Meera ~

"Mimi, I’m your big sister. I will always love you and protect you. I’ll never leave you alone, my baby sister. Never, ever."

Tears streamed down from dull amber eyes over porcelain skin, flushed with dark red hues. Vacant eyes stared out the window, gazing at the bright stars as her sister’s words echoed in her memory.

My granny once told me that if she ever died, I should look for her in the stars. And after her death, I always talked to the brightest star.

It gave me the calmness I needed in the loneliest nights.

But I never imagined I’d be looking for my sister—my Lottie—among them.

“I miss you, Lottie,” I whispered, closing my eyes and letting the tears fall freely.

I was in my new home, in the room I was meant to share with my husband. His room. But he wasn’t here. He had left me at home and hadn’t returned. It was past midnight, and still, he hadn’t come back.

And he wouldn’t—I just knew it. Because he hated the mere sight of me. He loathed my very existence.

And as much as it hurt, I accepted his hatred as my punishment. His hatred was my salvation—my redemption.

And I would accept every punishment for taking away the love of his life. His fiancée. His best friend. I would accept everything he had to give me.

I walked slowly toward the bed—his bed—and lay down on the mattress in the dark room.

I had never been in here before. But in that very moment, everything felt mine. I felt like I had finally reached my home—my final destination.

Turning my face to the side, I inhaled deeply into the pillow. It smelled like him. Even in his absence, he felt closer than ever.

Is it true that matrimony creates a powerful bond between souls? Maybe it is—because my heart had never felt more at peace than it did now.

I closed my eyes, letting his lingering essence lull me into a dreamless sleep.

The moon shone brighter and brighter with each passing minute, and the moonlight spilling into the room illuminated her skin, making her glow like a fragile doll.

***

Somewhere ~

"You don’t have to go home tonight. You can come over to my place—we can Netflix and chill, just like old times," a woman in a tight white bodycon dress said, her auburn hair cascading down her shoulders.

She leaned toward the man sitting in the chair to kiss him, but he turned his head, letting her lips land on nothing. She groaned in frustration.

"For God’s sake, she’s married. Stop thinking about her. You have to let her g—"

Her words stopped short as the man grabbed her jaw tightly and pulled her face toward his, glaring into her brown eyes.

"Say that again, and I’ll make sure you never see me again," he growled, his gray eyes burning with fury.

"Get out." He barked.

The woman straightened her dress and walked out of the cabin, the click-clack of her six-inch heels echoing in the silence.

The man pulled out a picture from his wallet and ran his thumb over the smiling image of Meera.

A smile tugged at his lips.

His Meera looked ethereal—her long black hair cascading to her waist, her porcelain skin tinged with a soft blush, amber eyes glowing in the sunlight, her full pink lips forming a wide smile. The beauty mark on her neck made her look irresistible.

There was no one like her. He would never let her go. Never.

"She’s mine. Only mine."

***

Meanwhile ~

The room was dark as Abram stepped in and locked the door behind him. He rubbed his temples, the migraine pounding harder with every breath.

So much had happened in a single day. He was married—married to the woman he wasn’t supposed to marry.

A woman he didn’t love. A woman who had taken from him something he cherished. His best friend. His love. Charlotte.

His baby blue eyes flared with anger as they fell on the figure sleeping peacefully on his bed.

How could she sleep so calmly after taking away his peace? Did she not feel guilt for what she had done?

It should’ve been Charlotte lying there. Not her.

How dare she take her place? How dare she live in peace?

He stormed forward and stood over her. Leaning down, he grabbed her jaw, making her eyes snap open, lips parting in surprise.

Tears welled in her eyes, and she tried to pry his hand away, but failed. His grip tightened, leaving her breathless.

She begged silently, pleading through her gaze, but he ignored her.

"You don’t belong here," he spat, his voice low and deadly. "Get the fuck out of my room and never come back."

He released her, and she shakily moved off the bed, casting her eyes downward.

She was frightened… and heartbroken. Her husband couldn’t even bear to share a bed with her.

How foolish she’d been to think she could sleep next to the man who hated her.

She reached out, placing her hand on his shoulder. But he grabbed her and shoved her back onto the bed, pinning her wrists above her head.

His eyes—no longer baby blue, but dark as midnight—stared into her with a hatred that suffocated her.

She couldn’t bear it. She thought she could, but she couldn’t.

Her lip trembled. A sob burst from her throat. “Abram, please… I’m so sorry… please forgive me…”

He laughed—cold, hollow, and mad. A maniacal laugh.

"Get. Out." He barked again.

"Abram, please—I’m so—rry—"

She gasped in pain as he dragged her out by her hair and slammed the door shut.

Meera slid to the floor outside the room, her wails echoing through the empty house. There was no one to hear her pain.

She cried—for her husband, for her sister, for herself.

But this was her doing. Her sin. Her punishment.

If only that night… fate had been reversed.